Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison du Petit-Paris, also known as Marcel Dhièvre's house, is a naïve art work located in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne. Built in the 3rd quarter of the 20th century, it is distinguished by its facade decorated with narrative scenes in volume, mixing faience, glass and sculptures. Marcel Dhièvre evokes fables, seasons and monuments in Paris, using axial symmetry and exuberant flora as a driving thread. The ensemble forms a coherent visual narrative, where each architectural element (doors, windows) integrates into a dreamlike composition.

Marcel Dhièvre, born in 1898 in a family of agricultural workers, became a carpenter at the SNCF before he devoted himself to his art after his retirement in 1960. Handicapped, he develops a unique style, miniaturizing scenes on his modest house on Avenue de la République. Inspired by his daily life (cats, pigeons) and his trips to Paris, he also creates paintings and sculptures visible in the house. Divorced and remarried, he dedicated his work to his second wife, Constance Colasse, and died in 1977 without having sold his creations.

Ranked a historic monument in 1984, the house was saved in 2012 by artist Katy Couprie and then bought by the town hall of Saint-Dizier. A renovation carried out in 2018-2019 by architect Charlotte Lurat transforms the place into an associative bar, while preserving its original structure. The association Au Petit Paris and the municipality are working together to rehabilitate this heritage, a symbol of popular art and local creativity.

Dhièvre's work is characterized by its mixture of techniques (round-bosse, mosaics) and themes, ranging from folklore to literary references. The house, although of modest size, concentrates a rare narrative density, where each detail contributes to a global history. His inscription in the title of the Historical Monuments underlines his importance in the regional and national artistic landscape, as a testimony of a self-taught and poetic art.

Future

Listed in 1984 on the inventory of Historic Monuments, the house was renovated in 2012.

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